HR0399 – Laura McGinnis Organ Donation Leave
Objective:
To provide eligible University faculty and staff paid time off (separate from and in addition to accrued Sick and Annual Leave) to donate a body organ or bone marrow.
Policy:
Eligible faculty and staff are entitled to up to six weeks of paid leave to donate a body organ and up to one week of paid leave to donate bone marrow, so long as the leave is medically necessary.
General Guidelines:
Eligibility: This benefit is available to regular, active employees (including 9-month faculty) assigned to work at least 75 percent and who have been employed by the University for at least one continuous year.
Relation to other leave entitlements: An employee is not required to use Family Medical Leave (FML) in order to take leave under this policy, and eligibility for FML is not a requirement to receive paid leave under this policy. Further, leave under this policy is available without regard to the amount of sick or annual leave accrued by the employee, and the employee will not be required to use any accrued leave during this leave. If employees wish to remain on leave after the expiration of the organ donation leave, they may use sick or annual leave or apply for FML if they are eligible. See HR Policy No. 0338.
Use period:
Leave may be taken in one continuous period or intermittently in smaller increments (as small as one hour) for any medical reason related to the donation, including the donation procedure, recovery, pre-donation testing, and follow-up appointments.
Separation during paid leave:
If an employee’s employment ends while the employee is on leave, the employee is not entitled to receive any payment under this policy once they have separated from the University.
Coordination with department:
When the need for leave is foreseeable, the employee shall notify his or her supervisor of the need for leave no later than 30 days before the leave is to begin. When the need for leave is not foreseeable, the employee shall notify the University as soon as possible.
Employees wishing to receive leave under this policy should notify their local Office of Human Resources, which will provide the appropriate paperwork. The employee will be required to provide complete and sufficient medical documentation to support the request for leave.
Before returning to work, an employee on leave for organ or bone marrow donation may be required to present certification that the employee is able to perform the essential functions of the job with or without reasonable accommodation.
Definitions:
Body Organ
Examples of organs which can be donated are kidneys, and parts of the lung, liver, pancreas, and intestine.
Bone Marrow
Bone marrow is defined as the soft blood-forming tissue that fills the cavities of bones and contains fat and immature and mature blood cells, including white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets.
Miscellaneous:
- Payment is based on the employee’s percent time and rate of pay immediately preceding the leave.
- Employees wishing to receive leave should notify their local Office of Human Resources, which will provide the appropriate paperwork.
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